KETTERING — Fifth Third Bank is exploring the possibility of building a branch on the former l’Auberge property at 4120 Far Hills Ave.

Fifth Third spokesman Jeff Kursman called the plans for the former restaurant property “exceedingly preliminary” and said the Cincinnati-based bank is also considering other locations in and around the Town & Country shopping center, where Fifth Third operates a banking office inside the enclosed retail center.

Kettering city officials said they have received a preliminary plan that calls for a Fifth Third bank branch with a drive-through to be built on the property, which is just under one acre in size. The location is a few hundred feet from an existing PNC bank branch that is located in an out lot on the west end of Town & Country center near Stroop Road and Far Hills Avenue.

Fifth Third’s Kursman said the bank has “a couple of agreements in place to hold properties” that it is considering, and the former l’Auberge property is one of them. “That does not mean the site has been selected,” he said. The bank is in the process of analyzing the cost and visibility of its alternatives, the Fifth Third spokesman said.

The upscale l’Auberge closed a year ago after Lebanon, Ohio-based LCNB National Bank foreclosed on the restaurant and took possession of the property. LCNB sold the property last week to Covington, Ky.-based Anchor Properties for $800,000, according to Montgomery County property records.